We were in the first week of July now. Chris and I had talked over the birthday thing and decided to just let it go. There was no use getting upset over it. To make up for it, he invited me to his family's 4th of July party. So I got a flight to Boston and he picked me up very incognito, in that we decided he should wait by the rental car place so it didn't look like I was here to see him. I got in before the paps were able to tell who was in the driver seat and he takes off, both of us laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "That was beyond ridiculous. I thought you were given a break when you're at home here in Boston." I says as we get out of the airport. I turn around to make sure we're not followed.
"Typically yes. But anytime I have friends come to visit. And with us being public since the premiere, it seems you're all that they ask me about." I reach over and place a kiss on his cheek.
"Oh, well I'm so sorry that you have had it so hard." I say with a laugh and he joins in. We make it to his house and pull into the garage, making sure the door is shut before we get out. He helps me out of the car before pinning me against it.
"I missed you." He says before kissing me.
"I missed you too." I smile against his lips. "If this is how you react to not seeing me for a couple of weeks, maybe I need to disappear more often." I joke.
"You're not funny." He says after he pulls away and grabs my bag from the trunk. "Now before we go inside I need to warn you about the bullet."
"The bullet?"
"You'll see." He says before opening the door and a streak of white and brown zooms at me and almost topples me over.
"Oh ok. I get it. Hello Dodger. It's very nice to meet you." I say in that voice you talk to dogs in, petting his head as I get down on the floor. "Hey Bubba," I say and he plops down into my lap.
"Wow. Man's best friend my ass. He didn't even stop to say hello to me." Chris says, laughing in the kitchen.
"What can I say? You're old news. You were here this morning. I'm shiny and new." I say with a smirk.
"So the party tomorrow?" He says as we settle on the plushy couch in his living room.
"The party..." I say suddenly nervous. "Should I expect judgements and pitchforks?"
"I'm sure they're going to love you."
"That does nothing to comfort me. I feel like I'm being offered to the lions." I laugh nervously.
"You'll be fine. I've told Scott all about you already and he's dying to meet you."
I let out a shuddering breath. "That's good at least." I swallow the lump in my throat. This would be fine.
...
"I should've made like cupcakes or something. Wine seems too easy for meeting the family for the first time." I say as we walk up, the wine bottle I agonized over at the store the day before in Chris's hand.
"The wine will be fine. You're a guest. They won't expect you to have anything prepared. You did only get in yesterday morning." He says, rubbing circles into my shoulder to calm me. He lets us into the house and I can hear kids screaming in the backyard. Dodger immediately runs off to investigate and we follow into the kitchen where his family is gathered. "Mom, Carly, Scott, Shanna, Tara, this is Phoenix. My girlfriend."
"It's so nice to meet you all finally." I say with a warm smile. His mom immediately comes over, offering me a hug.
"It's nice to finally meet you too, officially. I feel like Chris did his best to hide you from us at the premiere. Call me Lisa." His mom says as she pulls back to look at me.
"Ok." I say, more at ease now that his mom was nice.
"I feel like I know you so well already. Chris never shuts up about you." Scott says next, giving me a hug as well before Shanna hugs me next.
"He really hasn't. I thought you couldn't possibly be real the way he was going on and on about you. You seemed to perfect to be real. But clearly this time he was telling me the truth." Shanna adds. She steps back and Carly and Tara just smile at me, kinda snarky but I just let it go for now. I'm new and maybe that's just how they are. Maybe it has nothing to do with me.
"And the hellions yelling out in the backyard are Carly's kids, Ethan, Miles, and Stella." Chris says as they all run in.
"You have really pretty eyes." Stella tells me.
"Thank you. You have beautiful eyes as well." She giggles before running back after her brothers.
...
"Oh my gosh! He was so cute." I squeal out a couple of hours later. Lisa had pulled out old baby albums and we spent the last 30 minutes making Chris regret ever bringing me here. This most recent picture was little Chris in the bathtub, a staple photo amongst baby albums.
"Ma, can you not?" He begs from his spot next to me, watching on in horror the further we get into the pictures. She just laughs before leaving the room to go check on everyone else.
"But Chris you were so cute." I say, peppering his cheeks with kisses.
"We didn't get to do this at your dad's house." He grumbles.
"Well you hit it right on the head there. The embarrassing photo years were done before Dad married my stepmom and therefore no such albums exist. And besides, you got plenty of embarrassing stories about me instead."
"Oh, you want embarrassing stories? I have some of those." Scott says. Chris stares daggers at him but Scott just laughs before continuing.
"So we were probably in high school. Chris was a senior and I was a freshman and we were at a party." I see Chris signaling for Scott to stop but Scott's not paying attention to him, too engrossed in the story. "Anyway, Chris is super wasted at this point and tries to make a move on the head cheerleader, who's built-like-a-tank football boyfriend was right behind him. Well Chris ends up with a punch to the gut and was throwing up in the bushes for the rest of the night." Chris is bright red by the end of the story.
"Oh hun. It's ok. We all do stupid shit when we're drinking." I say, kissing him.
"I'm already regretting this friendship." He says pointing between us.
"Aww you don't mean that." I say.
"Come on. I want to show you the rest of the house." He says before taking my hand and pulling me off the couch.
I laugh along the way. "And to get me away from my new best friend."
"That may be a side effect, yes." He says before pushing me to the stairs. Going up the stairs are photos of all of them through out the years.
"It's hard to believe you were ever that little." I say, stopping at what had to be a kindergarten picture. "But those cheeks, oh my goodness."
"Yeah, yeah..." he says, embarrassed.
"This part you got at my house so let me enjoy this moment."
"I could give you something else to enjoy." He says, wagging his eyebrows before picking me up and carrying me the rest of the way upstairs.
"So this is Chris Evans's childhood bedroom?" I say, making a joke. "For some reason I expected more stuffed animals." I say, turning back to him. "Although I am pleased to note that Sandy Bullock is no longer on your ceiling."
"Ha ha. You're hilarious." He says before backing me up to the bed and pushing me down, following and hovering over top of me. He kisses my neck, making sure to stop at the spot right below my ear that makes my toes curl and I let out a soft moan.
"Chris, I'm not having sex with you on your childhood bed while your family is right downstairs. That's wrong on so many levels." He laughs before bringing a hand up under my dress, pushing my panties aside and inserting a finger inside me, moaning when he felt the wetness already present there.
"You know, for someone not wanting me to fuck them senseless in my childhood bedroom, you're sending a lot of mixed signals." He teases before adding another finger and pumping me.
I'm biting my lip so hard I taste blood trying to keep my moans down. "Chris." I whine. He just smirks at me before he undoes his pants and slides into me, both of us moaning as he bottoms out. He starts slow, taking his time thrusting in and out of me as I writhe and moan beneath him, becoming a puddled mess.
He's quick, bringing us both to completion. "You're trouble Evans." I say, breathing heavy as I come down from my high.
"I didn't hear you complaining Rudd." He pauses for a moment. "Ok, I can't call you that. My brain immediately jumped to your dad and that just doesn't sit well when you're lying naked in my bed." I laugh out before slapping a hand over my mouth.
"I mean if you have a thing for my dad, let me know now. I'll call him up. He might leave my mom for America's ass." This causes Chris to laugh out.
"You're hilarious. Let's go. I'm sure they're wondering where we are and the food has to be ready by now."
"Ok."
...
I'm inside while Chris is helping Carly's husband man the grill and Scott is wrangling the kids. I go to head into the kitchen but I come to a stop outside, hearing my name. "I just don't understand him sometimes. I mean she's practically a child." That was Carly.
"Well I mean age wise but we all saw why he really likes her." And that was Tara.
"I think it's just desperate of her, attaching herself to an A-list actor almost twice her age. Doesn't she see how that looks?"
"I don't think she cares." I decide enough is enough and I come into the kitchen.
"Look, you don't have to like me, either of you. But I am in Chris's life for at least the foreseeable future so we are all going to need to get over it. I'm aware of my age and the difference between us. However, if we don't have a problem with it, then you really shouldn't feel the need to voice your opinions on that matter. And as far as his status goes, I grew up in this life. Who he is to Hollywood doesn't matter to me nor am I using him for that. I really wouldn't need to, even if that was my intention. My intentions here are pure, or at least purer than what you're accusing me of, so kindly buzz off." I say. I turn around and my eyes go wide, seeing Chris there. "Chris, I..."
"Phoenix, I'm not upset with you. Neither of you had the right to talk about her like that." He says to his sister and friend. "You don't know her and you haven't tried to. She's nothing like what you've accused her of being and you're insulting my intelligence by thinking I'd be dumb enough to fall for someone like that." He takes me by the hand and leads me outside, before anything more is said.
His mom comes up to us and I apologize for the argument I've caused. "No, dear. You're fine. If anything, I should be worried for you. I know the history my son has. I just hope that with you, it's different." You and me both, Lisa. You and me both.